The film is directed by David L. Cunningham and stars Ian McShane, Alexander Ludwig, Frances Conroy, Gregory Smith, and Christopher Eccleston as the Rider.

The film centers on Will Stanton (Ludwig), when on his 14th birthday, he finds out that he is the last of a group of warriors – The Light – who have spent their lives fighting against evil – The Dark.

Released on October 5, 2007, by 20th Century Fox under a then-new joint-venture partnership known as "Fox-Walden",[2] the film performed poorly at the box office and was panned by critics and fans of the book series.

As Will walks home with his siblings, Miss Greythorne (Frances Conroy), the local mistress of the Manor, and her butler, Merriman Lyon (Ian McShane), invite them to a Christmas party.

Later, two farmers, Dawson (James Cosmo) and Old George (Jim Piddock), arrive at the Stanton house with a large Christmas tree ordered by the family.

Merriman names the threatening figure as The Rider (Christopher Eccleston), who warns them all that in five days' time his power – The Dark – will rise.

Merriman instructs Will on his powers, which include sensing the Signs, summoning superhuman strength, commanding light and fire, telekinesis, stepping through time, and the unique knowledge to decipher an ancient text in the Book of Gramarye.

By the fifth day, The Dark that The Rider commands has gained tremendous power and begins to attack the village with a terrible blizzard.

In July 1997, Jim Henson Pictures optioned the rights for the film adaptation of Susan Cooper's novel The Dark Is Rising.

The company attached Duncan Kenworthy as producer and Andrew Klavan as screenwriter, with the film's budget estimated to be $20 million.

[3] In May 2005, with production never becoming active under Henson Pictures, the film adaptation rights were purchased by Walden Media, who attached Marc E. Platt to produce the project.

[9] Hodge also wrote new subplots for Ludwig's character in the film, including sibling conflicts, a crush on a young woman (Amelia Warner), and alienation at school.

[9] Several sets built at the soundstages included an English village, the Stanton family's country home, a medieval church, and a mysterious ruin known as the Great Hall.

[11] Cinematographer Joel Ransom chose to have such sets, including the reconstruction of the 13th-century chapel that took four months to construct, built to surround the actors so he could use 360-degree camera sweeps in the locations to represent time travel sequences.

[18] The Seeker was reported to have issues leading to its release: author Susan Cooper was not happy with the adaptation of her book, the film's title was changed repeatedly, and advance screenings were canceled.

The site's consensus states: "The magic of the book is lost in translation with The Seeker, due to its clumsy plot and lack of heart.

Gianni Truzzi of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer opined that the movie lacked the "grandiose elements" of "magic rooted in its ties to Arthurian legend and British folklore" that made the books so memorable.

"[27] One of the few somewhat-positive reviews came from the Chicago Tribune's Kelley L. Carter, who said that "At its best, The Seeker is a pretty vivid fantasy book come-to-life" and found the lead character of Will Stanton to have been "played convincingly.

"[28] Another came from the Baltimore Sun's Michael Sragow, who found that The Seeker had "a lot going for it, including wonderful sets and locations...that create a heightened-reality English hamlet".

"[28] The New York Post's Smith went so far as to title his review "Bad Harry Day" and to joke that "In today's England, a teenage boy is instructed by grown-up mentors in the use of magical powers while a dark lord who comes in many formats promises an epic battle.

The movie is based on a 1973 book by Susan Cooper, who must be trembling in fear of being sued for ripping off J.K. Rowling's ideas and publishing them 20 years in advance.

"[30] The Boston Globe's Burr described the parallels more clearly, saying that "against him is a metrosexual meanie called The Rider (Christopher Eccleston), sort of a He Who Can Be Named.

In general, Cooper's story line has been Potterized to little avail: Will's family is as large as the Weasleys, as unloving as the Dursleys, and no fun whatsoever.